Apac logistic occupiers more cautious, but most still looking to expand: CBRE survey
According to CBRE, Singapore continues to stand apart among logistics tenants, particularly for hi-tech production and life sciences fields. “Singapore continues to draw international occupants, because of its reputation as a strategically positioned, neutral, and stable logistics hub,” states Graeme Bolin, CBRE’s Singapore head of occupier and leasing for industrial and logistics business.
Graeme includes that government-led facilities investments, incorporated with expansion by top-tier logistics participants and robust funding inflows right into modern logistics assets, are reinforcing Singapore’s role in the international supply chain.
The study, which collected answers from over 380 companies across Apac in between March and April, discovered that occupants in China predominantly generated the more cautious sentiment, as a result of potential unfavorable influences from tougher US trade regulation. Just about 70% of participants in mainland China identified trade doubt as their leading hurdle in the following 2 years.
Nevertheless, expansion appetite differs across individual markets. Based on the report responses, India, the Middle East and Korea captured the highest net expansion interest at 66%, 49% and 40%, respectively. Vietnam (34%), Singapore (33%) and the Philippines (33%) registered the next-highest attention levels, adhered to by Thailand (28%) and Australia (25%).
In spite of the unpredictable global trade setting, numerous occupants are looking beyond short-term industry volatility, claims CBRE. Some 76% of its survey respondents showed plans to expand their property account scale in the following 3 to five years, signalling optimism across the tool- to long-term outlook and a strong cravings for growth, the business adds.
CBRE’s poll even uncovered a change amongst tenants in the direction of more cost-driven realty strategies. Respondents ranked reduced rental fees and better lease terms as the top factors influencing relocations and lease renewals, while many are also looking for distance to transport centers, customer bases, and supply chains to boost functional effectiveness.
Logistics occupiers in Asia Pacific (Apac) continue to be confident in overall organization prospects, in spite of growing cautiousness in the middle of ongoing trade protocol unpredictability. According to CBRE’s 2025 Asia Pacific Logistics Occupier Poll, near-term assurance among occupiers has actually dropped this year, with 69% anticipating service efficiency to boost in the upcoming 2 years, compared to 81% in 2023.
Generally, 44% of CBRE’s survey participants suggested trade-related regulative challenges as a significant problem, up from 32% in 2023. Nonetheless, respondents continued to place economic uncertainty and cost escalation as the two biggest challenges encountering occupiers in the following 2 years, at 60% and 56%, specifically.
